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Strategies to Boost Vaccination Rates

As the COVID-19 vaccine is becoming a reality, it is important to continue to address barriers that may cause staff or residents to be hesitant about getting the vaccine.  The CDC outlines steps that may increase confidence in the vaccine and boost vaccination rates in your organization. 

LeadingAge Minnesota received information this week from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) about the status of implementation of monoclonal antibody therapies for COVID-19, and we wanted to share the lates with members.

On Monday evening, the Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package that includes provisions that provide some additional assistance to long-term care providers. However, last night President Trump threatened to derail the bill and called on Congress to send a more suitable bill or wait until the next administration to deliver a COVID relief package.

Did you miss this summer’s Connect Conference for senior living, assisted living and home care? Or the Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum in September? Not to worry – one of the benefits of hosting virtual events is the ability to record education sessions. Now you can purchase select sessions or a “sampler package” from these signature conferences for viewing on your own and with your staff.

Your staff has been working extremely hard this year in unprecedented conditions. Want to do something special for them? We have just the thing – our annual Stars Among Us Awards honor and celebrate caregivers, leaders and rising stars in our settings throughout Minnesota.

This year’s “100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders” list published by Minnesota Physician, a medical business journal, includes three prominent leaders at LeadingAge Minnesota: Jerry Carley, President and CEO; Benedictine; Dr. Rahul Koranne, President and CEO, Minnesota Hospital Association; and Gayle Kvenvold, President and CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota

We are proud to announce the 2020 Leadership Academy cohort has completed their program year in the most remarkable of circumstances. In a year like none other, this year’s class of 26 fellows gathered entirely in the virtual world for personal and professional leadership development, concluding with last week’s session on Transformational Leadership.

(HUD) research arm released the first of three evaluation reports of the Integrated Wellness in Supportive Housing (IWISH) demonstration program, which funds a full-time resident wellness director and part-time wellness nurse to work in HUD-assisted housing communities serving older adults. Launched in 2017, the three-year demonstration program aims to determine whether a well-funded, planned model of supportive services coordination in HUD-assisted senior housing provides compelling benefits.

The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle is now open and accepting applications through Jan. 15, 2021. The Loan Forgiveness program is available for various health care professio

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) research arm released the first of three evaluation reports of the Integrated Wellness in Supportive Housing (IWISH) demonstration program, which funds a full-time resident wellness director and part-time wellness nurse to work in HUD-assisted housing communities serving older adults. Launched in 2017, the three-year demonstration program aims to determine whether a well-funded, planned model of supportive services coordination in HUD-assisted senior housing provides compelling benefits.

Helping older Minnesotans maintain their health, independence and community involvement is the goal of more than $7 million in grants the Minnesota Department of Human Services is awarding to organizations and facilities around the state.

One element of your vaccination education plan with your staff may be a Town Hall meeting or short presentations at staff meetings. Here are two Powerpoint slide decks that you can modify to meet your needs.

Detailed scripts accompany the presentation. They were developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and are part of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkit.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn, Associated Clinic of Psychology

Acknowledging what is right in front of us seems easy enough. We’re living through the shared experience of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.  However, on a regular basis, we tend to move through even the most difficult situations without acknowledging the huge impact it’s having on all of us.

Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) started distributing payments to providers who applied for phase three of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) general distribution. Nationally, they are distributing $24.5 billion to more than 70,000 health care providers. The basis for the payments is half of the reported lost revenue and increased expenses from the first half of this year.  Combined with previous PRF payments this is designed to cover the majority of the lost revenue and higher expenses experienced by health care providers through June.

The MN Department of Health (MDH) plans to post more data to its website about the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living settings than it is posting now.

On Monday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) published Proposed Rules and Notice of Hearing in the State Register. This effectively begins the formal public comment period on the proposed rules that will govern licensed assisted living settings after Aug. 1, 2021.  This is a significant advocacy opportunity for LeadingAge Minnesota members, as the process invites the public to weigh in on the rules and express support or concerns.

Legislature Adjourns without Bridge Funding for LTC COVID-19 Response

The Minnesota Legislature met yesterday for the seventh special session of 2020, required as the Governor extended the Peacetime Emergency for another 30 days, and to pass the latest round of COVID-19 relief.  A $216 million COVID 19 relief package received bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate and is on its way to the Governor for his signature. The bill includes:

We are excited to announce that Luke Jenkins has joined our team as the Director of Membership. Luke comes to LeadingAge Minnesota with almost 10 years of experience in the senior care field, most recently serving as Director of Community Relations and then Corporate Marketing & Sales Consultant with Ebenezer.

LeadingAge National has launched a new podcast called The Mentor’s Voice. This podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and other platforms, provides students and young professionals an opportunity to candidly learn from leaders in the field of aging. The goal is to disseminate wisdom and knowledge to emerging leaders and to inspire and inform their career journey.

Skilled nursing facilities have the ability to train caregivers quickly using the Basic Care Aide and Paid Feeding Assistant programs from EduCare. The expedited training programs are eligible under the current 1135 waiver, allowing you to train Basic Care Aides in just 9 hours and paid feeding assistants within 2 hours. Basic Care Aides are eligible to work in place of traditional nursing assistants.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a disaster preparedness toolkit for multifamily housing. Announced yesterday, the disaster preparedness “business continuity” toolkit for multifamily housing providers is now available.  HUD will also be hosting a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 12:30-2 pm CST to share information on the new resource.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced (QSO-21-06-NH) on December 4 that the Five Star Quality Rating system will resume all updates with the January 2021 refresh. Due to the public health emergency (PHE) first issued in March 2020, the 3 domains of the rating system had previously been held constant at varying times throughout the past 9 months as a result of changes to health inspections and certain temporary regulatory waivers. During this time, CMS also unveiled the new Care Compare site, which officially replaced all legacy sites, including Nursing Home Compare, on December 1, 2020. Complete updates to the Five Star Quality Rating system will be available at the new Care Compare site on January 27, 2021.

The Minnesota Home Care and Assisted Living Advisory Council announced their first project utilizing funds from the special revenue account established from fines related to home care survey findings. The Commissioner has approved an expenditure of $100,000 with a maximum per provider of $2500 to be granted for the purchase of technology and for training of staff to use devices to ease isolation for individuals served in assisted living and through home care agencies. More information and an application will be issued soon with an application period expected in January.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Housing Support team has published a memo regarding the end of the temporary absence waiver that has been in place under the authority of the Governor's Emergency Executive Order 20-12, under which the DHS Commissioner waived certain absence day requirements for Housing Support recipients. The absence waiver allowed for absences longer than 18 days per absence and/or beyond 60 days total in this calendar year. The absence waiver is for people who are temporarily absent due to offsite quarantine, isolation, or hospitalization. The absence waiver is ending on Dec. 30, 2020. There is no authority to extend beyond this date.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently released guidance for Adult Day Centers relating to policies and processes for confirmed cases of COVID-19 amongst staff and participants. The new guidance must be added to each center’s COVID-19 Preparedness Plans and includes the following elements:

Two COVID-19 vaccines are close to being approved for Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA. To help you prepare staff and residents for vaccination availability, here are some tools to customize.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn, Associated Clinic of Psychology

Our focus this week is on providing small doses of nurturing—for yourself and your team— in order to build resilience for all. In addition to the compliments we discussed in last week’s article, a focus on what’s most nurturing at a basic level can be very helpful to restore a sense of comfort in the most difficult times.

Safe Care Vaccine Campaign Underway

The COVID-19 vaccine is coming, but we know that it will not be effective if people don’t get vaccinated.  Over the coming weeks we will be promoting the importance of getting vaccinated through the Safe Care for Seniors Living the Pledge Campaign.

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) started distributing the second round of infection control incentive payments to care centers who earned them for the month of October.  They also released the details about which providers received payments and how much the payments were.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) modified how surveyors should look at staff screening procedures and they have removed the requirement for active screening. Requirements for the organization in reference to staff screening include the need for a screening process that all staff must complete prior to or at the beginning of their shift.